


Life is Like Long Exposure

by Platinum_Sun_490



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Long Exposure (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Horror, Boys In Love, Bullying, Confessions, Drama, Drinking & Talking, F/F, F/M, Fist Fights, Friendship, Girls in Love, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Insecurity, Kissing, M/M, Mystery, Plot Twists, Smoking, Suicide Attempt, Swearing, Tickle Fights, Trust, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 06:44:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20041630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platinum_Sun_490/pseuds/Platinum_Sun_490
Summary: Jonas Wagner just moved to Chaos Crest for a fresh start after all the shit he went through in Sellwood. He has old friends in Chaos Crest, so he's hoping his life will get back to normal.Of course, it doesn't.He has superpowers. One of his friends has gone missing. He messes with the wrong people. His world might also be ending.Normal life, huh?





	Life is Like Long Exposure

It was raining heavily when Jonas finally woke up. The forest around him and the pathway he was sprawled out on were lit up momentarily by lightning flashes of the storm. He slowly opened his eyes and started to look around.

_ Where am I? What's happening? I'm trapped in a storm? How did I get here? And where is "here"? _ he thought to himself.

Then, he noticed the lighthouse, still standing perfectly, in the distance.

_ Wait…There's the lighthouse…I'll be safe if I can make it there…I hope…Please let me make it there_, he pleadingly thought.

Jonas held up his hand to block his face, the wind continuously blowing debris into his eyes as he slowly made his way towards the lighthouse. It was just his luck he was fighting against the wind. Jonas kept looking around as he walked, knowing that a forest was not a good place to be during a storm; trees were never quite as sturdy as they looked. In the distance, Jonas heard a male and female voice calling his name. They sounded worried out of their minds.

_ Come on Jonas, you can make it_, Jonas thought to himself.

Trudging up the slightly steep path to the lighthouse, Jonas finally reached the lighthouse. Its light was still circling, lighting up everything that fell in its light. Suddenly, Jonas’ breath was torn out of him as he looked to one side. There was no way in Hell that he was seeing what he was seeing.

An incredibly massive tornado filled the rest of his vision, mostly obscured by trees. Jonas wasn’t aware it was possible for something to be that big, but at least it explained the storm that was going on around him. Jonas didn’t think the lighthouse would be able to withstand something like that, but he was going to give it a shot. The worried teen tried not to think about it as he walked up the wooden steps, using all of his attention of not slipping. Water and wood was a lethal combination, and Jonas refused to be killed by something so simple when there was a freakishly large tornado nearby.

Jonas nearly cried with relief as he reached the top of the cliff, the lighthouse only a few feet away from him. From here he had a full view of the tornado, showing it was much bigger than he’d originally thought, and it was heading straight towards Chaos Crest, only a matter of time before it completely wiped out the small town and everyone in it. He looked around for the people who had called for him, then he saw them. A teenage girl and boy was standing on the edge of the cliff that showed the most open view of the tornado.

“Holy shit,” Jonas breathed out, the situation too absurd for him to even think about being crazy for talking to himself.

Jonas couldn’t tear his eyes away from the destruction, the swirling vortex of shades of grey, carrying shards of wood and other debris into the air, sending them into orbit around it. He was transfixed, but he was clear minded enough to make his way towards the two teens. Then, Jonas barely had time to flinch before a small boat was being flung towards him, crashing into the lighthouse behind him. He put his hands up to protect himself on instinct, chunks of the lighthouse falling down, careening towards the ground where he was standing.

“No!”

* * *

With a sudden jolt, Jonas woke up, sitting up so quickly it made his head spin. Blinking to try and focus his vision, Jonas looked around. Instead of being stuck in a storm and staring at a tornado the size of a mountain, he was sitting in a photography class at Chaos Crest University. It was a bright and sunny day outside with only a few clouds in the sky, perfect weather for a fall day. Everything was okay. He was in class. Everything was okay. Jonas repeated those words to himself until his heart resumed its normal pace. That dream was so ridiculously surreal.

“Alfred Hitchcock famously called film, “little pieces of time” but he could be talking about photography, as he likely was,” Maxine Caulfield-Price, the photography teacher, was saying in the background, but Jonas wasn’t listening.

He was still glancing around the classroom, taking everything in to convince himself he was fully awake now.

The clock displayed 10 to 4.

Stella, another student, dropped her pencil from across the room, quietly picking it back up.

Tiffany, a snobby minion of Veronica Collins, threw a balled up piece of paper at Kara Malone, a kind Christian with a heart of gold. It hit her on the cheek, but she didn’t seem to be bothered by it. She just rubbed her cheek, then continued to listen to the lesson.

“Can someone give me an example of a photographer who perfectly captured the human condition in black and white?” Veronica’s phone rang, vibrating across the table, but Jonas was too preoccupied with his thoughts to pay it much attention. He knew he didn’t fall asleep and that storm definitely didn’t feel like a dream.

“Diane Arbus,” Veronica, the rich bitch of Chaos Crest, replied, her hand going up after she had given the answer. Mrs. Caulfield-Price didn’t seem to mind. “Good example, Veronica! Why Arbus?”

“Because of her images of hopeless faces. You feel like, totally haunted by the eyes of those sad mothers and children.” Veronica brushed some of her long, wavy, strawberry blonde hair out of her face as she answered.

Jonas knew he should be paying attention, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, instead focusing on the photo on his desk. It was a photo of him standing in front of his bedroom wall, his back facing the camera. The wall was covered in multiple Polaroids of different things with string lights hanging over them. He hated it. How could he have even thought it was good? There was no way he could show this to Mrs. Caulfield-Price.

“She saw humanity as tortured. What if Arbus chose to capture people at the height of their beauty or innocence? She had a brilliant eye, so she could have taken another approach.”

“I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of her work. I prefer…Robert Frank,” Veronica offered.

“Me too, Veronica. He captured the essence of post-war, beat America. And there was honestly about the economic conditions of the era but a beauty in the struggle. You don’t have beauty without a beat. Like Cocteau, Salvador Dali was a true renaissance man, and his famous self-portraits are famous early examples of the “selfie”. It’s a great tradition, and I wholeheartedly fight for your right to self-expression. Or selfie-expression. So if anybody wants to question the portrait as modern narcissism, they could go back hundreds of years-”

Jonas was so done with this lecture, especially now that it seemed that it was just a conversation between Mrs. Caulfield-Price and Veronica. Plus, his camera was just there on the desk and Jonas had never been one to resist the temptation of a photo. He wasn’t the Selfie King of Chaos Crest for nothing. And considering Mrs. Caulfield-Price was talking about selfies, he figured it was appropriate. And it would be perfect for his portfolio. Taking his Polaroid in his hands, Jonas quickly snapped a photo of him looking at the lens with a simple expression, no smile or rare expression.

“I believe Jonas has taken what you kids call a “selfie”, a simple word for a wonderful photographic tradition. And Jonas…has a gift. Of course, as you all know, the photo portrait has been popular since the early 1800s. Now Jonas, could you please tell us the name of the process that gave birth to the first self-portraits?” Mrs. Caulfield-Price asked. Shit. Jonas should have seen that one coming. He often wondered how he managed to get himself into these situations. Lucky for him, he knew this stuff like the inside of a camera.

“Louis Daguerre was a French painter who created "daguerreotypes", a process that gave portraits a sharp reflective style, like a mirror,” Jonas answered simply. There was nothing he hated more than being asked questions in class. That just put all the attention on him, and he wasn’t a big fan of attention.

To his left, Jonas saw Veronica shake her head and scoff with a disgusted look. “Somebody has been studying as well as selfie taking. Good job, Jonas,” Mrs. Caulfield-Price said with a smile. Then, she launched into a lecture of Louis Daguerre. “The Daguerreian Process made portraiture hugely popular, mainly because it gave the subjects clearly defined features. You can learn more when you actually finish reading the assigned chapters. Jonas is so far, way ahead of everybody.”

At that moment, Mrs. Caulfield-Price's speech was cut off by the bell ringing loudly, signaling the end of the lesson. As much as Jonas liked Mrs. Caulfield-Price, he didn’t want to spend an extra second in this classroom. “And guys don’t forget the deadline to submit a photo in the “Everyday Heroes” contest.” Jonas was so sick of hearing about that fucking contest. He really didn’t want to submit a photo anymore. Even if the prize was amazing, it didn’t change the fact everything he took looked terrible.

Mrs. Caulfield headed back to her desk after gathering up some papers. “I’ll fly out with the winner to San Francisco where you’ll be feted by the art world. Its great exposure and it can kick start a career in photography. So Stella and Alyssa, get it together. Tiffany, I’m still waiting for your entry too. Same for you, Jonas.” Jonas sighed as he stood up and collected his things, slowly enough that most of the class had already left. Jonas hated being caught in the rush and he didn’t have another class to go to.

Jonas noticed that Kara was still sat in her seat, head down staring at the table. They’d became quite good friends in the time that Jonas had been at Chaos Crest and he hated seeing her upset. Kara was such a sweet girl; she didn’t deserve the bullying she got. Nobody did. Jonas looked over to where Veronica was talking to Mrs. Caulfield-Price. That girl never wasted a second kissing ass, whether the teacher was male or female. Jonas shook his head, choosing to go talk to Kara. She looked like she could use someone to cheer her up.

“Hi, Kara,” Jonas said, coming to stand next to Kara’s chair. Kara looked up surprised, clearly too lost in her thoughts to have noticed Jonas’s presence.

“Oh, hi Jonas,” she answered with a sunken face.

“You seem quiet today,” Jonas said, concerned for his friend. Kara’s blonde hair was up in a more than messy bun and the deep bags beneath her eyes were hardly healthy. A permanent frown seemed to have settled on her face the past few days.

"Just thinking too much…”

Jonas knew that was never a healthy habit to get into. “I hear that. Want to go grab a cup of tea and bitch about life?” he asked. Sometimes just being with someone and complaining was incredibly therapeutic.

“Thanks, but not today. I have to go over homework,” she answered.

Now Jonas definitely felt sorry for her. “No worries. Let’s hang later,” he offered.

“Sure.”

Jonas didn’t quite feel comfortable leaving Kara alone, but he couldn’t force her to talk. He also knew that sometimes people need to work through things themselves. Leaving Kara alone, Jonas went to leave the class, but the paper ball caught his eye. Crouching down to pick it up, Jonas straightened out the page, immediately feeling the temptation to rip it to shreds just reading the words:

_ **Dear Kara, We love your porn video xoxo Chaos Crest Academy** _

The bitches even had the nerve to put hearts. Jonas really wished he’d never read it. He shook his head, his fingers brushing over the table he was standing next to, feeling grooves under his fingertips. It wouldn’t be college if the tables weren’t graffitied with engravings. This graffiti, however, made his heart clench with sadness.

JULIET MORTIMER <3 4EVER

Even though he missed his dear friend, Jonas had to admit it did look cool. Cool enough to get a photo of. Jonas wasn’t even ashamed to get his camera out, this was a photography classroom after all. Also, it would be a little cool to show Juliet whenever she was found.

He could hear Veronica’s conversation with Mrs. Caulfield-Price from here.

“I just worked so hard on this shot, and I’m sure you know what it’s like to be consumed-” God did Jonas not care, and by the look on Mrs. Caulfield-Price’s face, neither did she. Jonas knew he should talk to Mrs. Caulfield-Price about his photo, and there was no better time than now.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Caulfield-Price, can I talk to you for a moment?” Jonas asked, acting as though Veronica wasn’t there. Veronica had done the same thing to him multiple times and Jonas could do the exact same.

“Yes, excuse you,” Veronica snapped, her tone nothing short of snobby.

“No, Veronica. Excuse us,” Mrs. Caulfield-Price said, her tone as clipped as Veronica’s had been. Jonas wanted a picture of the look on Veronica’s face. It was priceless. “I’d never let one of photography’s future stars avoid handing in his picture.” Mrs. Caulfield-Price smiled sweetly at Jonas, having known him since he was a child.

“I’m on top of it. As John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” It’s good advice, in my opinion,” Jonas said, shuffling his feet. Talking to teachers always made him nervous and he knew what he just said was a good excuse to get Mrs. Caulfield-Price to cut the conversation short.

“Jonas, you are on fire today. All the right answers. Good. Make sure you finish working on it by today. I have faith in you.” Well, that was Jonas’ cue to leave.

Jonas missed the cool classroom environment the moment he stepped into the crowded corridor, everybody’s separate conversation assaulting him at once. Jonas leaned against the wall, taking a moment to calm his breathing and get his headphones from his pocket. He probably looked like Hell. A trip to the bathroom was definitely in order. He should splash some water on his face or something. That usually worked in movies, right? Jonas could feel people staring as he walked down the corridor, but he knew it was just his anxiety telling him that.

Forcing himself to ignore it, Jonas walked as quickly as was considered normal to the bathroom, luckily finding it empty. Nobody could see his meltdown except for him. Good.

Jonas sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. He could actually pass for a zombie for how dead he looked, his skin paler than usual and his eyes sunken in. He should definitely sleep more. Jonas turned his attention back to the task at hand, turning on the tap and splashing his face with the water. It helped him look better, if only marginally. Jonas sighed, taking his photo out of his pocket, staring at it in his hands.

He tried to remember Mrs. Caulfield-Price’s words. He should stop torturing himself. He has “a gift.” Jonas was having trouble believing that. Fuck it. Jonas tore the picture in two, scraps of Polaroid fluttering to the floor, instantly being coated in filth and spilled water. There was no recovering it now. Jonas’ attention was captured by movement to his left and, for a moment, he was worried that someone was with him.

Looking over, the teenager saw it was only a butterfly flying in through the open window. It was beautiful, its wings nearly glowing with how blue they were. Jonas followed it around a cubicle, seeing it settle on a bucket. He wasn’t going to get another opportunity like this again. Pulling out his camera as quietly and slowly as he could, trying not to scare it off, Jonas crouched down for the shot. Jonas lined up his camera, snapping the shot quickly. The flash startled the butterfly, scaring it away. Jonas checked the picture as it came out, thankful that it actually came alright. He might have cried if he wasted the opportunity.

_ At least one good thing came out of this weird day_, he thought.

* * *

Jonas headed off the campus after grabbing a flash drive from his room. Nicolas Graham, a fellow nerd of the academy, was leaning against a seemingly brand new 1978 blue Camaro in the parking lot. He smiled brightly when Jonas came up to him. “Yo, JJ. Good to see you. You got the flash drive?”

“Yeah. I only checked out some of the movie booty, but all in all, it was good. Sorry it took too long. I saw some missing persons posters on the way here, and……”

Nicolas nodded solemnly. “The cops will find Juliet soon, man. I know they will. Though, wherever she is, I hope she’s okay.”

Jonas sighed heavily, getting the surprisingly normal feeling to cry. He pushed it down, but before he could say anything, someone said, “Jonas Wagner, in the flesh. Is this what you look like now? Or did your neck just decide to throw up?”

Jonas whirled around to see Quincy Rams, the average jock bastard, strolling up to him with a devilish smirk. Jonas stiffened with fear, but his anger overtook his mouth before his mind could react. “Couldn’t help it. One look at you, and I started to vomit.”

Nicolas snorted, clapping a hand over his mouth to smother his laughter. Quincy’s smirk grew smaller, but it was still there. “You sure are an idiot if you think you can come back to Chaos Crest and think you still own this place. I’m in charge now, and you better not step out of line, understand?”

Jonas rolled his eyes with a grimace. “You seriously admitting you thought I was in charge before I left for Sellwood? That says a lot about how you think of me, bastard.” Suddenly, Quincy surged forward, probably to hit Jonas, but Nicolas rammed into Quincy’s side, knocking him to the pavement. The boys began to wrestle on the ground, despite Jonas’ cries to stop. Just then, a rusty pickup with multiple band stickers and graffiti on it pulled up to them, nearly hitting Jonas. The teen looked up at the driver, immediately noticing him. It was Wyatt Miller, one of his oldest friends. “Get in, Spots!!”

Jonas hurried to the passenger side and opened the door, but Quincy appeared behind him and shoved him in the car, kicking the door closed. “You assholes really think you’re better than me?! Nobody messes with me! Nobody!!" Nicolas tackled Quincy to the ground as Wyatt sped out of the parking lot. Jonas looked back at the two to make sure his friend was okay, and he watched as Andrew Lovatt, a campus security guard, separate them with a harsh shove.

* * *

The drive through the paved forest roads was quiet, but a comfortable quiet. Jonas glanced at Wyatt, who was driving the truck with one hand on the wheel and another cradling the side of his head with his elbow propped up against the door. Even after five years, Wyatt still looked the same.

His skin was incredibly pale, probably still got bad sunburns every now and then. His ocean blues eyes were sparkling with gold flecks as he kept them on the road. Wyatt had let his thin, silver white hair grow out, down to his chin. It kept falling into his eyes, but he didn’t seem to mind moving it out of his face every five seconds with a head whip. He was wearing a faded Black Veil Brides t-shirt and ripped blue jeans. Bracelets and necklaces made of brown string and metal symbols hung from his neck and arms. His right hand was on the wheel while the other was on his head and leaning against his window.

Wyatt was a free spirited kid with serious ADHD. He loved sports, loud music, and violence. His dad died a couple years back, and his sister got put in a hospital for her own violent tendencies. When Jonas was younger, Wyatt had been the first kid to ever stand up for him against the bullies. Wyatt himself got bullied for liking things such as makeup, girl clothes, and drag queens, like his idol, RuPaul Andre Charles, a famous American drag queen.

“Thanks for the save back there, Wyatt. It’s good to know I have a few allies here,” Jonas said as he glanced at his old childhood friend.

Wyatt smirked with surprisingly jagged teeth. “Even after five years, you’re still Jonas Wills.” Jonas looked away, shuffling in his seat. Looking over, Wyatt nudged his friend, saying, “Hey, don’t give me the guilty face. At least pretend you’re glad to see me.”

“I _ am _ glad to see you, Wyatt. I haven’t seen you in so long. How've you been?"

"Would've been better if you had been here. After you moved away, the gang broke up. Rachel, Terence, Juliet..." Wyatt sighed before falling silent. Jonas didn't know what to say. He knew things would be tense, but he didn't think it would be this bad. He wanted to adjust back to life in Chaos Crest, so he situated himself at the university for a month or so. While he was there, he heard things.

"I can't believe Terry would do something like that..."

"Juliet's probably in Vegas by now..."

"I heard Wyatt was the kid that robbed the gas station in town a couple weeks ago..."

"Rachel has written a new song, but it's obviously about her freaky friends..."

It was all bullshit. Total bullshit.

Leaning against the side of the truck, Jonas stared out the window as he said, "Well, I'm back now. Let's fix things the best we can."

Wyatt grinned. "Still the optimist. How's it going at school?"

"Good. They haven't run me out yet. It feels a little strange to have one of Rachel's moms as my photography teacher, though."

"I think it's cool. Mrs. Max and Mrs. Chloe are laid back parents. Not everyone can say that about their folks."

"Amen, brother." They rode in silence for a while until Jonas thought of something. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his Polaroid camera, which was busted. "Oh shit. Are you cereal?"

"Good to see some things haven't changed," Wyatt chuckled.

"Except my camera, which has taken a shit."

Wyatt looked it over before focusing on the road. "My step-douche has some tools that could help you fix it. He actually is a tool, so it makes sense for him to have enough." Jonas rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

* * *

A couple of minutes later, Wyatt was leading Jonas up the stairs to his bedroom. His house was super quiet. No one seemed to be home. Pictures of the past hung on a board posted on the wall. It was pictures of Wyatt and his family, before his dad, Walter, died and before his sister, Clarissa, got put in a hospital. He looked so happy. What Jonas wouldn't give to go back to those times and relive them as much as he wanted.

Finally, they reached Wyatt's room. When he opened the door, Wyatt suddenly jumped back, knocking Jonas and himself to the ground. He scrambled to get up on his feet. "What the fuck?!" Jonas looked up from his spot on the floor to see what the problem was.

A teenage girl was laying on Wyatt's mattress, which was just a pile of pillows, blankets, plushies, and an ashtray.

She had neon pink hair that was pulled back into a high, wild ponytail that seemed bigger than her head. Her clothing the typical punk rocker. Her crop top was basically the remains of a Sex Pistols t-shirt. Her skin tight black jeans had rips and patches. Her knee high boots had been laced up all the way. The girl's hazel eyes and peachy cream skin were pretty features. She had no makeup on, just a natural beauty. Tattoos of blue roses and grey chains went up her exposed left arm and around her neck, like a choker.

She smiled, her lip bumping her nose ring just slightly. "Window was open. Helped myself."

"Fuckin' hell, Rachel! You just come and go as you please, don't ya?" Wyatt raged. His Australian accent was getting thicker, meaning he was actually pissed off. Jonas stood and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes before facing Rachel.

Rachel Caulfield-Price was the adopted teenage daughter of Maxine Caulfield and Chloe Price. She was named after Rachel Amber, a friend Chloe had known and loved before her body was found in a junkyard. The young girl is a mixture of performer and tattoo artist. She was the wild card, but she could be a voice of reason. When she wanted to be.

"Good to see you again, Rachel. Looks like you finally dyed your hair like you wanted to," Jonas said with a smile.

Rachel turned at the mention of her name, then suddenly lurched forward to tackle Jonas in a tight hug. "Holy shit, Spots! I can't believe you're back!! You still have curly hair and everything!! Fuck, I fucking missed you!"

"I missed you too, Rachel."

She let go of him and plopped down on the bed next to Wyatt, who had laid down on his bed with an Oregon ashtray on his stomach and a cigarette in between his lips. He let out a puff of smoke and kicked Rachel in the back, ignoring her flipping him off. Jonas chuckled at his friend's playfulness, then decided to put on some music. He searched around Wyatt's room, but he didn't find any CD. He just found trash, dirty clothes, empty beer bottles, cigarette butts, and more photos of his childhood.

There, under the bed!

A shoe-box was hidden partially under the bed.

He bent down and pulled the box out. It had a CD and some random papers. Setting the CD aside, Jonas noticed something. There was a picture of him, Rachel, and Wyatt at some random restaurant, but Terence and Juliet Mortimer were with them. They all had bright smiles and eyes full of energy. He sighed sadly as he picked it up to inspect it closer.

Wyatt and Rachel looked over at him to see what he was doing, then grew quiet. "It wasn't fair what happened to them..." Rachel brushed some stray strands out of her face.

"I just got back to Chaos Crest, so can you tell me what happened? I feel like an ass for not hearing about them sooner. I didn't even ask my uncles about them," Jonas sighed.

"Well, it happened a couple of months after you and Sidney moved to Sellwood to be adopted by the Wagner family. The bullies weren't picking on you anymore, so they moved onto Terence and Juliet. Juliet could push it down, but Terence hated it. Not only that, their parents acted like nothing was wrong. They sure didn't act like nothing was wrong when they found Terence dead in his room……He overdosed five months ago. That tore everyone down to Hell. Juliet was the most devastated. She holed herself up in her house. She didn't go to class and didn't leave her house for anything," Wyatt explained with a dark look.

Jonas bit his lip, tasting the all too familiar metallic bite of blood on his taste buds, to hold back his tears. Terence…was dead? He was dead, and Jonas never got the chance to see him before it happened? He was in utter shock.

Rachel sat down on the floor next to Jonas and wrapped her arms around his shoulders for comfort. "Two months ago, Juliet went missing. She disappeared without a trace. She did tell us about meeting someone that changed her life, though. Her parents are in denial. No one knows what to think."

Jonas felt nothing but anger. This town may have been kind in the past, but they've grown up. Life was watching for every moment to screw them over. Jonas sat up and put the CD in, playing some calm rock before excusing himself to go find the tools. He headed downstairs, taking his time to drink in the nostalgic feelings of Wyatt's house. It still had that light yellow paint as the wall color, and the furniture still looked just as worn out and run down as it had years ago. The kitchen had gotten some new remodeling, a new floor and upgraded appliances. Across from it was the 'dining room', which was really just an oval shaped wooden table with four chairs, one for each family member. Evening sunlight was shining through a small window on the two chairs that sat silently on the left side of the table, while the two other chair son the right side of the table were shrouded in the darkness of the dimly lit house. _Wyatt's dad and sister used to sit there, always loving the feeling of the warm sunlight on their backs_, Jonas thought sadly. _Now, o__ne's in Heaven, and one's in Hell_.

He ran a hand through his curly brown hair and stepped into the garage, careful not to knock anything over. Jonas rummaged through drawers to find any kind of screwdriver that could help him fix his camera. As he looked around, he found a TV in a cabinet that was connected to security cameras around the house.

"Is this a fucking joke? What kind of asshole does this? Does Wyatt and his mom know?" Jonas asked himself. Closing the cabinet, he decided to pause his search for the tools and looked around for more. What he found shook him to the core. He found some files on Kara and Juliet, like pictures of them, certain times, and connections. It was too much. Jonas put the files back, then saw just what he needed. A pack of small precision screwdrivers was sitting on top of a washer. Jonas hopped up onto the work table beside it and snatched the tools with a smile.

_Booyah! Now, let's head back_, Jonas thought. He headed back up to Wyatt's room, where Wyatt was still smoking and Rachel was doing something on her phone. Jonas moved some stuff on Wyatt's desk in front of the cracked bedroom window and sat down to fix his camera.

* * *

He couldn't fix it. It was busted beyond repair. Throwing it down, Jonas ran his hands through his hair and groaned. Wyatt sat up and walked over with the cigarette all burned out. He set it on his Oregon ashtray, then set that down on the edge of the desk. "So?"

"Can't fix it."

Rachel swaggered over and leaned over Jonas' back. "How 'bout you get a new one?"

"Where?"

Rachel picked up her bag and pulled out a vintage Polaroid one step close up 600 instant film camera. Jonas' jaw dropped to the floor as he quickly got up from the desk chair. "Are you shitting me?! This camera is perfect!" Jonas said joyfully as he took it from Rachel. The teenager just smiled and replied, "Wyatt and I know it was your birthday last month. We knew you'd like it."

"Thanks, guys." Jonas looked over the camera, not seeing Wyatt slip by him with a devilish smirk. He switched the song to Piano Fire, by Sparklehorse.

"Now that we got that mushy shit out of the way, I feel like stagediving! Let's dance, psychos!!"

Rachel laughed as she jumped up onto Wyatt's bed and swayed her hips with a blissful smile. Wyatt lit another cigarette and jumped up beside her. He grabbed her wrists and laughed like mad. Jonas, momentarily forgetting about reality, held his new camera up and snapped a picture of his best friends. Setting the camera in his bag and the picture in a small book he had for such occasions, he started to dance with them, but a sudden voice made him jump in surprise. "Wyatt, what are you doing up there?!"

"Shit! turn it off, turn it off!" Wyatt put the cigarette out quick while Jonas switched of the radio. Rachel jumped down off the bed, worried already. "How many times have I told you to stop blasting that punk shit?!"

"Dude, the music's not even on!" Wyatt shouted. He rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Asshole" under his breath.

Jonas was about to say something, but the voice called out again. "I'm coming up! We need to talk."

Wyatt's eyes widened as he jumped up from his spot on the bed. He pushed Rachel and Jonas away from the bedroom door, saying, "You guys need to hide, now! My stepdad will kill me if he finds you here!"

"No! We're staying with you, man." Jonas crossed his arms in defiance. In his mind, however, all Jonas could think about was, _When in the fresh hell did Wyatt's mom start dating someone? She couldn't have found someone better than her husband, could she? I know he's gone and all, but still..._

"Besides, if your step-dildo kills you, you're going to need witnesses," Rachel joked.

Wyatt glared at her, then whirled around when Andrew Lovatt burst through the door. He had a buzz cut hairstyle with his plain white dress shirt tucked into his jeans. He had a build and an angered look in his eyes, which made Jonas feel even more uneasy. Apparently, he was Wyatt's new dad. "What's going on? Who are these two?"

"None of your business," Wyatt growled as he crossed his arms.

Andrew frowned as he glanced at Rachel and Jonas, then walked over to the desk, saying, "One of my guns is missing. Did you take it?"

Jonas thought, at first, that that was a bit random, but then remembered seeing a gun rack in the garage. A pistol had been missing.

"Oh God, I didn't take our stupid gun. You do know I believe in gun control?" Wyatt said with an eye roll.

"Wait, is that grass?! You've been toking up in here again?!" Andrew suddenly asked, picking up Wyatt's discarded cigarette.

Before Wyatt could say anything, Jonas stepped forward to say, "No, it's my joint…Can I have it back?"

Rachel snorted and stifled her giggles with a hand over her mouth. Wyatt had the faintest hint of a smile. Andrew tossed the cigarette down and strode towards Jonas with an, if it was possible, even angrier look. "So, you're bringing drugs into my home. How about if I call the police? That would screw up your little Chaos Crest record."

Wyatt slapped Andrew's hand away while Rachel moved Jonas away. "Get the hell away from him, man! Stop harassing my friends!"

Andrew glared at Wyatt. "You don't have any friends. And you two, I will remember this."

With that, he left, slamming the door behind him. Wyatt flipped him off when the door closed. "Thanks for taking the heat, Spots. We totally smacked his punk ass down. He's no match for the likes of us now. That was an epic win!"

Rachel nodded with a pleased smile. "Let's sneak out the window. There is one place in this hickhole we can hang out."

Jonas knew exactly where she was talking about, so he was the first to climb out the window. He hopped down to the ground with Wyatt and Rachel following.

* * *

After a two hour drive, the sun was almost done setting on a log cabin in the distance. It was a one story cabin with a few windows here and there. The front porch had a swing on the left side of the door. The area around it was mainly muddy and overgrown trails. A waterfall could be heard in the distance. Herds of deer galloped off into the forest when they saw the truck approaching. Wyatt pulled up and turned the truck off. He took some keys out of his pocket to unlock the door. Rachel and Jonas hurried after him. Closing the door behind him, Jonas turned around and sighed in bliss at the sight.

The inside of the cabin immediately led into a dark blue living room, which was littered with magazines and DVD cases. Food wrappings of all kinds were strewn about on the floor, but the couch was the cleanest thing in the room. All it had on it was a few blankets and pillows. Wyatt sat down with a sigh. Rachel grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator, then came back and sat down beside her friend. Jonas sat down beside her, taking a beer and drinking most of it in one down.

This cabin was their secret place. Only Jonas, Wyatt, Rachel, and a handful of others knew about this place. Whenever they needed a break, they would come out to the cabin and forget about the entire world, like it never even existed.

"You really took one for Team Wyatt," Rachel said with a grin as she set her beer down. Jonas smiled at her. "He is indeed a step-douche."

"Sorry you had to experience it firsthand." Wyatt looked down at the floor.

"It's cool. He's got some weird agenda," Jonas mumbled.

"He's got secret files. Rambo thinks he's still in secret service. Did you take a peek?" Wyatt asked, eyes hopeful. Jonas just nodded, still remembering how creepy it had been when he saw those closeup pictures of Kara and Juliet. It only made the teen dislike Andrew more and more. If he had something to do with what was going on, Juliet missing, Kara growing more depressed...

"He has a total surveillance fetish. I keep thinking there's spy cameras in your house every time I come over," Rachel said with a chill. Wyatt nodded, but said nothing more, which made Jonas' skin crawl. He looked up in surprise. "I knew you didn't know! Wyatt, when I was in the garage, I saw a TV that was connected to security cameras all over your house."

Wyatt almost choked on his beer. He set it down on the rectangular coffee table and gripped his hands, which were covered in colorful band-aids over callouses and cuts. "Fuckin' hell!! He's so fuckin' paranoid! I'll keep this a secret for now, but thanks for telling me, Spots," Wyatt growled. He wrung his hands together, making them red.

Jonas felt angered at the very thought of his friends gone, his friends angry, his friends hurt. He was so angry, he didn't notice what he was doing. "Jonas, what in the fresh hell is that?!"

Jonas' head cleared as he looked around. Wisps of red light waves were floating around the room. They quickly changed to green and yellow, then tints of blue. Wyatt and Rachel moved closer to their friend, reaching out to touch the lights, and Wyatt asked, "What the fuck is going on, Jonas?" Before Jonas could answer, a jolt of pain bolted through his head, like he had been shot. He cried out in pain, hardly registering his friend's cries as he passed out on the floor.

**Author's Note:**

> Go check out Long Exposure at "tapas.io" to see marsoid's webcomic! It's awesome!! It will also explain some other things in my story you might have questions about.


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